Of late, there seems to have been a spate of incidents involving drivers found asleep at the wheel. The latest occurred at Davis and Bergen Aves. at 4:15 a.m., last Thursday, Dec. 17, Kearny police reported.
Police said Officer Mina Ekladious was on patrol when, in a parking-prohibited area, he saw a 2015 Dodge, its engine running and its left signal blinking.
Inside, police said, he found Fillener Macias, 26, of Elizabeth, sound asleep in the driver’s seat, which was in the reclined position. The vehicle’s windows were open, the heater was on and there reportedly was a strong odor of alcohol emanating from both car and driver.
After several attempts, Ekladious was able to rouse the man and question him. Asked if he knew where he was, Macias “replied that he was in Clifton,” Chief John Dowie noted. Asked for his driving credentials, he reportedly produced a college I.D. from Kean University and a receipt for an oil change.
Following field sobriety tests, and an Alcotest at headquarters, he was charged with driving while intoxicated and issued a summons for the parking violation. Dowie said it turned out he did have valid driving creds.
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Other recent reports from the Kearny police blotter included the following:
Dec. 9
Brendan McCall, 24, of Kearny — whom you might recall from a Dec. 2 report as allegedly having tried to hide from the cops in a local deli — was arrested again at 4:45 p.m. this date, this time on the 300 block of the Belleville Pike. Police said Officers Dominic Dominguez and Sean Kelly took him into custody on an outstanding $1,000 criminal warrant from Kearny and a $250 warrant from Lyndhurst. He was given accommodations at HQ pending either posting of bail or transfer to the county.
Dec. 10
At 9 p.m., Officers Luis Moran and Giovanni Rodriguez responded to a report of a two-vehicle crash at Hackensack Ave. and Rts. 1/9 in South Kearny. Police said one of the drivers, Samuel Martell, 57, of Queens, N.Y., appeared to be impaired or incapacitated, had slurred speech and trouble standing — to the point that FSTs could not be conducted. Following an Alcotest at HQ, he was charged with DWI and careless driving.
The other driver, a 34-yearold Latham, N.Y., man, reportedly complained of pain from an airbag deployment and was taken by Kearny EMS to St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark.
Dec. 13
Cops reported yet another snoozing motorist, this one at 8 a.m. at Bergen Ave. and Elm St., where Carlos Navarro, 42, of East Newark, had apparently fallen asleep at the wheel of a 2006 Honda, which hit a parked car. Navarro was still asleep when Officers Peter Jahera and Damon Pein found him in the still-running vehicle, police said. He was awakened, given FSTs and an Alcotest and charged with DWI and careless driving.
Dec. 14
At 2:30 p.m., Officer Jordenson Jean spotted a double-parked 1993 Chrysler on the 300 block of Kearny Ave. Police said a warrant inquiry indicated the occupant, Kristina Torres, 25, of Harrison, had a $250 warrant from that town.
In the course of arresting her on that, Jean reportedly saw two empty baggies, three cigar wrappers and a partially consumed bottle of Fireball whisky in the vehicle. Torres was subsequently charged criminally on the warrant and with possession of CDS paraphernalia and given summonses for double-parking, failure to have the car inspected and having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.
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Officer Jason Rodrigues was on patrol at Kearny and Bergen Aves. at 3 p.m. when his onboard computer alerted him that the registered owner of a passing 2004 Pontiac had a warrant and a suspended license, police said. Stopping the car, he confirmed that driver Jarvis Johnson, 27, of Irvington, was the owner and had a $200 Irvington warrant — for driving while suspended, police said. The registration reportedly was also suspended. Johnson was arrested and later released on bail, but with new summonses for driving while suspended and failure to surrender a suspended license. The car was impounded.
Dec. 16
At 10 p.m., Vice officers observed a 17-year-old Kearny male sitting on a porch in the area of Chestnut St. and Wilson Ave., reportedly smoking a marijuana cigar. He was charged with possession of the drug and drug paraphernalia and was later released to the custody of a parent.
Dec. 17
Shortly after midnight, near Walmart, Officer Jason Rodrigues stopped a 2014 Nissan which reportedly was travelling eastbound on Harrison Ave. with its headlights off. Police said driver Franck Tape, 25, of Newark, produced vehicle registration and an insurance card but admitted he had no license. What he did have, police said, was a $1,000 Newark Municipal Court warrant. He was processed at HQ , issued summonses for the license and headlights offenses and later bailed himself out.
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At 2:30 a.m., Officer Daniel Esteves followed and stopped a 2005 Acura with Florida plates, and an inoperable headlight, after he reportedly observed the vehicle speeding west on Harrison Ave. near Bergen Ave. Police said driver George Gomez, 47, of Elizabeth, produced Florida registration, a N.J. license, which later was found to be both expired and suspended, and an expired insurance card. Gomez was also found to have a no-bail warrant from the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, police said.
He was processed at HQ on the warrant and MV offenses, including driving while suspended, careless driving and the headlight violation. During booking, police said, Gomez said he felt ill. Kearny EMS and paramedics were summoned to evaluate him and “deemed him to be fine,” Dowie reported. Gomez was later taken to the Hudson County Jail, which does have a medical staff.
– Karen Zautyk
